aviation accidents

The pilot reported that during takeoff with a gusting crosswind at the airport in Laural, Mont., he was surprised by the Aviat A-1C-200’s door popping open as the right wing lifted up. He attempted to level the wings, but was unsuccessful. The left wing tip touched the grass beside the runway, the airplane pivoted around, and […]

During a pleasure flight, the non-certificated pilot attempted twice to land the Cessna 152 at the airport in St. Ignatius, Mont. On the first attempt, he stated that the approach was too fast and too high, so he performed a go-around. On the accident landing, the 152 landed farther down the 2,610-foot runway than he […]

The private pilot stated that shortly after he descended the Cessna 150 and leveled off at 6,000 feet mean sea level (msl), the engine sputtered and lost power. Attempts to restart the engine were unsuccessful. The pilot subsequently executed a forced landing into a cement mixing yard near Henderson, Nevada, shearing off the landing gear […]

The pilot reported that, shortly after takeoff, the Stinson 108’s engine began to sputter and that it eventually lost all power. He was unable to return to the airport and initiated a forced landing to an open field near Lodi, Calif. During the landing, the plane hit a berm, nosed over, and then came to […]

During a cross-country flight, the Cessna 182’s engine sputtered twice. The pilot performed an uneventful precautionary landing, in a field near Littleton, N.C., about 20 miles away from his intended destination. He then secured ground transportation and obtained more fuel for the airplane. During the subsequent takeoff from the “L-shaped” field, the plane drifted right […]

The pilot was flying over a bayou canal near Paradis, La., when a large bird hit the leading edge of the Cessna 182’s right wing. He immediately felt a vibration in the control yoke, and had to apply left aileron and left rudder to keep the plane from rolling to the right. He assessed the […]

The pilot reported that during the landing roll with a constant crosswind, the Cessna 195A veered left of the runway centerline at the airport in Salinas, Calif. He applied right rudder control and braking action, which resulted in an over correction. The airplane entered a right ground loop which rotated it about 270°. The fuselage […]

The student pilot reported that following an uneventful flight in the Cessna 177RG, as he entered the airport traffic pattern in Richland, Wash., on the downwind leg, he was notified by another pilot that there was an airplane operating within the traffic pattern with no radio. The student pilot established visual contact with one airplane, […]

The instrument-rated pilot was on a 234-nm instrument flight rules (IFR) cross-country flight over mountainous terrain in the Beech B36TC. During the flight, he notified a controller at the Air Route Traffic Control Center (ARTCC) that the plane was picking up too much ice and requested to divert to an airport located about 96 miles […]